PART 1Environmental governance
CHAPTER 2The Office for Environmental Protection
Information
43Confidentiality of proceedings
(1)
The OEP must not disclose—
(b)
correspondence between the OEP and a public authority that—
(i)
relates to a particular information notice or decision notice, or
(ii)
is, or contains, such a notice.
(2)
Subsection (1) does not apply to a disclosure—
(a)
other than a disclosure of an information notice or a decision notice, made with the consent of the person who provided the information or correspondence;
(b)
made for purposes connected with the exercise of the OEP’s functions under section 33 (investigations) F1or paragraph 7 of Schedule 3 (functions of the OEP in Northern Ireland);
(c)
made for purposes connected with the co-ordination of the OEP’s functions that relate to investigations under section 33 and a relevant ombudsman’s functions that relate to investigations by that ombudsman;
F2(ca)
made for purposes connected with the co-ordination of the OEP’s functions that relate to investigations under paragraph 7 of Schedule 3 and the Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman’s functions that relate to investigations by the Ombudsman;
(d)
made for the purposes of any publication of a report (or part of it) on an investigation under section 33 F3or paragraph 7 of Schedule 3;
(e)
made for purposes connected with the exercise of the OEP’s functions under sections 35 to 41 F4or paragraphs 9 to 15 of Schedule 3 (enforcement);
(f)
made to a devolved environmental governance body for purposes connected with the exercise of a devolved environmental governance function;
(g)
made for purposes connected with the protection of the natural environment in a country or territory outside the United Kingdom, to an authority of that country or territory, or an international organisation, that has functions in connection with the protection of the natural environment in that country or territory;
(h)
of information, or correspondence, that relates only to a matter in relation to which the OEP has concluded that it intends to take no further steps under this Chapter F5or Part 1 of Schedule 3.
(3)
A public authority must not disclose correspondence between the OEP and that, or any other, public authority that—
(a)
relates to a particular information notice F6, decision notice, Northern Ireland information notice or Northern Ireland decision notice, or
(b)
is, or contains, such a notice.
(4)
Subsection (3) does not apply to a disclosure—
(a)
made—
(i)
in the case of a disclosure of correspondence between another public authority and the OEP other than correspondence that is, or contains, an information notice F7, a decision notice, a Northern Ireland information notice or a Northern Ireland decision notice, with the consent of that authority and the OEP, or
(ii)
in any other case, with the specific or general consent of the OEP;
(b)
made for purposes connected with co-operating with any investigation under section 33 F8or paragraph 7 of Schedule 3;
(c)
made for purposes connected with responding to any information notice or decision notice;
(d)
made for purposes connected with any proceedings in relation to an environmental review, judicial review F9(which includes a review application) or statutory review.
(5)
The OEP may not give a person consent to disclose an information notice F10, a decision notice, a Northern Ireland information notice or a Northern Ireland decision notice unless that notice relates only to a matter in relation to which the OEP has concluded that it intends to take no further steps under this Chapter F11or Part 1 of Schedule 3.
(6)
If a public authority requests the consent of the OEP to disclose correspondence that relates only to a matter in relation to which the OEP has concluded that it intends to take no further steps under this Chapter F12or Part 1 of Schedule 3, the OEP may not withhold that consent.
(7)
If information referred to in subsection (1) and held by the OEP, or referred to in subsection (3) and held by a public authority, is environmental information for the purposes of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (S.I. 2004/3391) or the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (S.S.I. 2004/520), it is held by that person, for the purposes of the application of those regulations to that information, in connection with confidential proceedings.